Winter Storm
by PeppermintShamrock
Summary: Ray is a hero who saved the world from destruction at Zarc's hands. But while lost in a snowstorm, Ray has an encounter with someone who doesn't quite see it that way. Written for ygotp week 1 prompts: Ice and Snow, Heroes and Villains.


"Thank you so much for coming to our little duel club," the organizer said earnestly. "I'm sure you must be very busy and of course everyone wants to meet with the one who saved us all…"

"It's nothing," Ray said with a smile. She could still hear the excited chatter of the children coming from the living room as they played at reenacting her final triumph over the demon. "It made the children happy, so I'm glad to do it. Thank you for inviting me."

"Will you be alright going out in this weather? The snow has really picked up since you got here!" the organizer said, his eyes wide with concern. Ray saw out the window that he was right – a heavy torrent of snow obscured the view.

"I'll be careful," she said. "I wouldn't want to impose on you."

"It would be no trouble at all – but if you insist."

Ray turned away, pulling on her coat before she opened the door, meeting a blast of sudden cold air. She stepped out and quickly shut the door behind her before starting on her way home.

She bowed her head as she advanced through the storm, clutching the hood of her coat over her head with a gloved hand to prevent snow from flying into her eyes. It was only marginally successful. The wind pulled at the hood, threatening to expose her to the cold and whirling snow. She was starting to wish she'd brought a scarf. Or even taken the organizer up on his offer to stay until the storm passed.

But who knew how long this storm would last, and Reira would surely worry about her if she didn't return home in the midst of a storm.

Ray stopped. Somehow she had lost the path. Raising her head, and shielding her eyes with her hand, she squinted into the snow, trying to make sense of her surroundings. Once or twice, she thought she could make out movement, but, uncertain of whether it was actually other people lost out in the storm, she did not call out. They wouldn't have been able to hear her over the wind, anyway. But she was unable to make out any buildings or landmarks through the thickly falling snow. It had only gotten worse since she had started out.

Ray grimaced and continued walking, hoping that eventually she'd come to someplace she could identify. She considered trying to use her duel disk to find her location and guide her back home, but she didn't want to risk it getting damaged by the harsh weather. It probably wouldn't be able to get a signal in these conditions, either.

She rubbed her hands together as she walked, hoping to bring back some warmth. She didn't know how much time had passed. Minutes could have been hours, and hours could have been minutes for all she could tell. It seemed that the sky was getting darker, but it was impossible to be sure. Concern flitted through her mind about what would happen if she couldn't make it home before nightfall.

But she was never one to let fear consume her, and she continued onward, the sound and imprints of her footsteps lost to the wind and snow.

Then the ground beneath her changed, and Ray found herself slipping. A loud crack made itself heard over the howling winds, and Ray skidded as she jumped back to the solid ground she had left moments before.

She breathed heavily, but quickly pulled herself together and began walking more cautiously, avoiding the ice. Ray chastised herself for her carelessness – this weather had come too recently for ice to be safe to walk on. However, she realized, that could not have been merely an icy patch, but an actual body of water. Which meant, hopefully, that she could determine where she was. It couldn't be the ocean, that was too warm. The river was also likely too warm to ice over. That left the park as the most likely place. Hoping to orient herself, she carefully treaded back to the edge of the ice, and followed along as best she could.

Ray hugged her arms across herself as she went, trying to shake the chill that had sunk into her. She really needed to find shelter soon – her fingers were bitterly numb, her gloves next to useless against the harsh wind. Warmth seemed a faint, distant memory…

Over the roaring winds, Ray once more heard the sound of ice cracking. Startled because she hadn't thought she was on ice, Ray quickly looked at her feet and prepared to step backwards, only to confirm that she was still on the ground.

Another crack. Ray looked around for the source. Was someone out here with her in the storm? An earsplitting crack followed by a shriek answered her.

Forgetting her caution, Ray rushed over to the source of the sound. She could make out a figure struggling, the sound of ice cracking with every motion. Ray grounded herself, then leaned as far over the ice as she could, reaching and stretching until her fingertips glanced the person's hand. They immediately grasped for hers, and Ray returned the iron grip. She pulled, straining to free them from the ice and water. Snow assaulted her face, although it seemed less than before, and Ray could feel her position slipping forward towards the ice…

Finally, something gave, and Ray fell backwards onto the snow, bringing the other up with her. They both lay there, panting from the effort. Ray rolled over to look at the person beside her. A girl, perhaps a year or two younger than her, bundled up in a blue coat lay facing her with eyes closed. Ray though she looked familiar, but couldn't quite remember – she had met with a lot of people since her revival, they all tended to blur together.

The girl opened her eyes, and as she took in Ray, her relieved expression changed drastically. First a shocked look of disbelief and recognition (which didn't surprise Ray all that much – she was well known, after all). It quickly contorted into furious anger. The girl jumped up, preparing to run off, but let out a small noise of pain as she landed on her feet.

"Wait!" Ray said, scrambling to her feet. "Are you okay?"

The girl looked at her with disgust and walked quickly the other way.

"Wait…," Ray said again, following after her. The wind had died down, so it was easier to see and hear, but she did not wnt this possibly injured girl wandering around by herself.

"I didn't ask for your help. Leave me alone," the girl harshly snapped, briefly turning to face Ray. Ray stopped, confused by the girl's anger towards her.

"I was only trying to help…why…?" Ray trailed off. The two stared at one another in silence, until the girl finally answered in a low, angered tone.

"You killed her."

In an instant, Ray recalled who the girl was, and knew exactly why she was angry.

* * *

" _People are demanding answers, Reiji."_

" _I should expect so. A demon fell from the sky, then was destroyed before their very eyes? Of course they want answers."_

" _Was there no way you could have kept this out of the public eye?"_

" _No, mother. It was all we could do to escape from Fusion before it was destroyed. We are lucky that Standard even survived for us to return here – none of the others remain."_

" _Even so…what do we tell the public?"_

 _A pause._

" _Bring the families and close friends of the Lancers here. We will tell them the truth, and we will respect their wishes when revealing what we can to the public."_

"… _Very well. I will send for them."_

 _Ray felt her mouth go dry._

" _Families?" she asked. "How…how many of them had families?" She didn't dare look at Kurosaki, who had already reacted very poorly to learning his sister was not coming back. She could feel everyone's eyes turn towards her, and Reira gripped her hand comfortingly. Ray gratefully squeezed back. Reira alone was the only one that did not treat her with cold hostility or begrudging tolerance. Everyone else…it was clear that Ray was a stranger to them, and they would rather have the other girls, and the pieces of Zarc back, than have her here._

" _Yuuya and Yuzu both have families," Reiji confirmed. "And many friends, I'm sure. Since Leo is no longer with us, I expect you to answer to them."_

 _Ray's mouth felt even drier, and her heartbeat sped up, but she nodded. This had all been for the best, she knew that. Zarc had to be destroyed, and she had to be resurrected to do it. But what comfort was that to a parent that had lost their child?_

 _They waited in silence. Ray took in her surroundings – a few things here and there were familiar to her, but it all stood as a stark reminder that her father had failed in restoring her home. This dimension was alien to her, even if she was responsible for its creation. And everywhere were strangers. Even her family – Reiji and even Reira did not feel like kin to her. And the woman Reiji called "Mother" was not hers._

 _Still, Zarc had been destroyed, so any personal sacrifice had been worth that – except the loss of her father, but she was trying not to think about that – there was nothing that could be done at this point._

" _They're here," Himika eventually announced, and people began filing into the room. Ray stood to attention, trying to remain calm._

 _They stared back at one another, the battered remains of the Lancers, and the curious faces of their families and friends. No one spoke for a few moments, as though trying to take everything in, taking note of who was and was not there…_

" _Wow," one girl finally broke the silence awkwardly, looking at Ray. "Yuzu, you've…uh…gotten tall." The girl flushed. Ray opened her mouth to respond, but found herself being hugged tightly by a sobbing man with bright orange hair._

" _Yuzu! Yuzu! You're safe, you're not…I was so worried. Thank God my little girl is safe!"_

 _Ray swallowed uncomfortably, dreading having to tell this poor man – Yuzu's father – the truth. She gently pushed him away, finding it difficult to look at him, with his confused expression torn between hurt and relief._

" _I'm not Yuzu."_

" _Not Yuzu?" the girl who had first spoken up said, shocked._

" _Then…you are Selena?" Yuzu's father asked, visibly shaken. Ray shook her head, not knowing how to explain._

" _She's not," a voice behind Ray said. Gongenzaka, she believed. "She's Ray. Not Yuzu. Not Selena."_

" _Where is Yuzu, then?" a woman spoke up. She sounded collected, but there was an edge of fear to her voice. "And Yuuya? And Dennis? I don't see them…"_

" _Dennis was a spy for Academia," Reiji said after an uncomfortable moment. "As for Yuzu and Yuuya…Ray should explain." All eyes turned to Ray once again._

" _Yuzu…along with Selena, Ruri, Rin…was a piece of my soul that split when the dimensions did." She heard noises of astonishment and disbelief. "And Yuuya was likewise a piece of Zarc…that…demon that you may have seen earlier." There were further noises of disbelief and shock._

" _Zarc needed to be destroyed. Even at the cost of the individual pieces. He was a danger to every living thing. And I was the one with the means to destroy him, so my father, Akaba Leo, revived me from my pieces' souls. They…are also gone." Ray finished, closing her eyes so she didn't have to see their faces._

" _Then all of this – this war, the cardings, everything – it was all because of you?" the first girl asked, shaking._

" _In a way…yes. But it was necessary to protect everyone else…"_

 _The girl stalked up to Ray._

" _Do you have her deck?" she demanded._

" _What?" Ray hadn't expected that. "Yes, I do, but…"_

" _Give it back."_

" _Give…what?"_

" _Crystal Rose. Give it back, it doesn't belong to you. I gave that card to Yuzu, not…not her murderer!"_

 _Ray was startled by the girl's ferocity, but did as she demanded. She dug through her deck, found the card in question, and handed it to the girl. She snatched it away, and Ray saw tears in the girl's eyes before she turned and ran out of the room._

" _Masumi!" a boy with a sword across his back called after her. Ray could only stare at the door._

* * *

"You killed Yuzu," Masumi said again. "And Hokuto, and Marco-sensei, and so many others – they're all dead because of you."

"I can't change that," Ray said softly. She wasn't sure if Masumi heard her.

"And you're hailed as a hero, despite the fact that it's _your_ fault in the first place!"

"That's not…Zarc had to be destroyed, or he would have destroyed everything else. So many more would be dead…I was the only one with the means to stop him, so I had to be revived. I had to do it," Ray said, trying to explain.

"You're so arrogant!" Masumi cried. "You really think no one else could have done anything? You think _Yuzu_ couldn't?"

"I…it had to be me…I was the only one who…" Ray stuttered. Wasn't it true that she was the only one with the power to defeat Zarc, the power her father had channeled into those cards? But the girls…they _were_ her, parts of her. If they had worked together, perhaps they could have…

But it didn't matter. Ray was here, she had saved Standard from destruction. Whether anyone else could have done the same was irrelevant…yet somehow the thought still stung.

"Everywhere…" Masumi said, her voice starting to choke. "I see your face plastered everywhere. I can't avoid it, it's on the news, on the billboards, on everything…and it's _her_ face…everywhere…" Tears threatened in her eyes. Ray only stared, at a loss for words.

"But she's gone. Instead we get you, our supposed savior, the hero who saved us all from destruction…except the ones who were sacrificed to bring her to life, of course! Masumi continued bitterly.

The storm had reached a lull – the wind nonexistent, the snow lightly falling around them. Ray could finally make sense of her surroundings. But the girl in front of her was the only thing she could register. Ray hated that she was the cause of such pain.

Masumi angrily wiped away her tears, then turned to leave. Ray saw that the girl's clothing had been torn just above her right ankle. The ice must have caught the fabric. It looked as though it had cut into skin as well.

"Masumi, you're bleeding." Ray said gently, but firmly enough that Masumi stopped, though she did not turn around.

"Why do you care?"

"I want to help…even if you're angry with me for what happened, neither of us should be out in this weather."

"I don't want your help," Masumi said, limping a few more steps away. Ray easily caught up, falling into step beside her.

"I can't change what happened. I can't bring Yuzu back," Ray said. Masumi refused to look at her. "Even if I found a way to split myself again, the chances of splitting apart in the exact same way, into the exact same people, with all their memories and personalities intact…it's essentially impossible. But I can help you, right now. And…I don't think Yuzu would want you to needlessly risk your life because of her."

Finally, with an expression that looked much like she was swallowing her pride, Masumi reluctantly accepted Ray's offered hand. Ray shifted her weight to support the other girl.

"We should go somewhere where you can get that looked at," Ray said. Masumi nodded, but said nothing, and the two of them set off into the city.


End file.
